House Sitting in Monmouth: Charming

We often get asked for real housesitter experiences, so here is one about house sitting in Monmouth UK. Are you curious about what house sitting in Wales is really like? Philippa and Pete, two empty nesters and new housesitters, recently completed a housesit in Monmouth — a charming town on the Welsh–English border. Their first experience with house sitting in Monmouth gave them the chance to enjoy a comfortable home, explore historic landmarks, and even support an elderly parent instead of pets. Here’s their story.

Man looking at a stained glass window at Hereford Cathedral — Peter, formerly a 3D designer was fascinated by the stained glass windows in Hereford Cathedral, a short drive from our house sitting in Monmouth

Photo by Philippa Brewer

House Sitting in Monmouth: Empty Nesters Share Their Experience in a Historic UK Town

We are Philippa and Peter – house sitting empty nesters with a keen interest in travel and exploring. We
love the idea of seeing a slightly different side to a place than what you might experience in
a hotel, so house sitting seemed an ideal option for us.

Monmouth is a beautiful small town and a great way to start house sitting in Wales, just inside the border with England. It’s in a lovely setting too – very green, with hills, woods, fields and meadows. It’s the place where the two rivers – the Wye and the Monnow meet.

The homeowners Chris and Sarah have a beautiful, comfortable and very well-renovated home. We had an
ensuite bathroom, and we particularly appreciated the wonderful kitchen. The garden is beautiful, with a large lawn and wonderful shrubs and flowers, a patio for eating out, and a smaller courtyard garden immediately outside the kitchen where we enjoyed coffee every morning on their lovely swing seat. House siting in Monmouth was such a great way to visit Wales.

House sitter in Monmouth kitchen during UK housesit — Peter in the kitchen where we were house sitting in Monmouth – it was such a beautifully renovated home

Photo by Philippa Brewer

What it’s like House Sitting in Monmouth’s Town Centre

The house is within easy walking distance of the town centre, and close to interesting walks that can
be undertaken directly from their front door – it really is a relaxing place to spend time. Our
hosts made every effort to make our house sitting in Monmouth pleasant, providing us with lots of
recommendations for places to visit and walks to undertake, and places to eat.

👉 If you’d love to experience similar housesitting in the UK, join HouseSit Match to connect with homeowners looking for trusted sitters.

We walked along the Wye to the Boat Inn – a cosy country pub with food, that has ‘possibly the best
garden in the Wye Valley’ – well, we would agree with that: we wove our way up steps
linking staggered seating areas set into the hillside, and sat by a moss- and fern-filled grotto
with a small waterfall running down the rocks behind us. We were even able to catch
a bus back to town, meaning we didn’t need to depend on the car at all that day.

Pet and Philippa first time housesitters — First time house sitters Pete and Philippa enjoyed house sitting in Monmouth

Photo by Pete Redman

Monmouth the town itself has lots of quirky independent shops, delis, cafes and restaurants, as well
as many of the shops you might expect (Waitrose being one of them, M & S food another).
We had coffee and breakfast several mornings at Alex Gooch on the high street, they have
the biggest and best almond croissants ever!

Things to do in Monmouth While House Sitting

We spent one week house sitting in Monmouth, but really could easily have spent two weeks at the sit – there are so many places to see locally. We visited Goodrich Castle which is within a 30 minute drive from our house sitting in Monmouth. This is an English Heritage property full of fascinating insights into how people lived in mediaeval times – rich and poor.

a statue discovered on our Forest of Dean Scultpture Trail — Here ‘s one of the statues we discovered on our Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail

Photo by Philippa Brewer

We then drove on to Ross on Wye – a small town nearby with a thriving art community. The
following day we visited the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail – a beautiful setting for a wide
range of interesting installations.

So Many Fascinating Places to Visit

Hereford Cathedral – Another day we had a guided tour of Hereford Cathedral – which is beautiful and amazingly well-preserved despite a turbulent history – including the falling of the spire, the removal of one tower and the effects of the Reformation. This trip was a favourite of the many visits we made while house sitting in Monmouth.

Unique discovery while house sitting in Monmouth: Chained Library in Hereford — We were amazed at the Chained Library in Hereford Catheral

Photo by Philippa Brewer

Mappa Mundi – The Medieval View of the World – The Cathedral is home to the Mappa Mundi – a really interesting representation of how people in Britain in the Middle Ages saw the world, and their place, as Christians, in it.
The unique Chained Library – It also houses the Chained Library – the first example of a cunning way of protecting precious and costly books from theft, while still making them available for reading. The city also has many interesting shops, especially in the Church Street/Cappuchin areas.
Tintern Abbey – A trip to Tintern Abbey and from there to Chepstow rounded off our stay – the Abbey is beautiful and peaceful and again gives a fascinating view of life before the Reformation – and
of the amazing and specialist work Cadw are doing to save the country’s heritage. Chepstow is a very attractive town on the banks of the Wye with – yes you’ve guessed it – a castle plus lots of nice food and drink outlets.

House sitters exploring Tintern Abbey near Monmouth during a housesit — Our visit to Tintern Abbey was on a glorious sunny day, which made the ruins and the shadows they cast more dramatic

Photo by Philippa Brewer

A Housesit Without Pets – Supporting a Senior in Monmouth

However, you may wonder that in the whole of my retelling of our house sitting in Monmouth there is no mention of any furry friends in this blog post: the sit was unusual, or so I’m told, as it didn’t involve pet care, nor, principally, house sitting.

We were there mostly to provide a reassuring presence to Sarah’s mother, who lives in the town, while they were away. As soon as we read the advert for a sitter, we could see so many parallels in her needs with those of my late mother, and totally understood why they wanted this help. So I applied.

Contains: New House Sits
News, Offers and Discounts

House Sitting as a Reassuring Presence for Seniors

I should say that the lady likes to be very independent and we did not provide care, as she already has a very capable and lovely lady who supports her, and this remained in place. We were there for additional support if it was needed, checking in briefly morning and evening, being at the end of the phone at night if needed (we weren’t) etc – we did not feel at all restricted by this.

To us it is clear that a family trying hard to support a parent to live independently will
sometimes want to go away. Sarah and Chris had approached other house sitting sites, but
those companies had not known how to categorise the sort of help needed.

HouseSit Match were the only ones with the vision to see there is a need for police checked sitters to operate in this way – Chris and Sara were able to talk to us first to ensure they were happy with out experience and understanding of the situation. We feel it worked very well and would definitely do this or another, similar, sit again.

👉 Pro tip: Would we Housesit Again in Monmouth? Our Verdict

Without a doubt, we really enjoyed our house sitting in Monmouth for the place itself and all the location had to offer us as visitors. And we would definitely do this housesit again.

The opportunity to discover a new location from a comfortable and established home meant we could relax while we discovered the local countryside, it was really a home from home.

FAQ Section

❓ Is Monmouth a good place for house sitting in Wales?
Yes, Monmouth is a charming town on the Welsh–English border, making it a great starting point for house sitting in Wales. It offers a mix of countryside walks, historic landmarks, and friendly community life — ideal for housesitters looking to experience local culture.
❓ Can you house sit in Monmouth without pets?
Absolutely. While many house sits involve pet care, some opportunities — like this one in Monmouth — focus on providing support to homeowners or their families. In our case, we helped by being a reassuring presence for an elderly parent instead of looking after pets.
❓ What do housesitters do in Monmouth?
Housesitters in Monmouth may be asked to care for pets, water gardens, or simply keep the home secure while the owners are away. In between responsibilities, there are plenty of things to do, from walking along the River Wye to visiting Goodrich Castle, Hereford Cathedral, and Tintern Abbey.
❓ How do I find house sitting opportunities in Monmouth or Wales?
You can join trusted housesitting platforms like HouseSit Match, where homeowners in Monmouth and across Wales post opportunities for reliable sitters. Once you create a sitter profile, you can apply for sits that match your skills and travel interests.
❓ What are the benefits of house sitting in Monmouth?
House sitting in Monmouth allows you to enjoy a comfortable home base while exploring a historic market town surrounded by beautiful countryside. It’s a cost-effective way to travel, meet locals, and experience Welsh culture more authentically than staying in hotels.